Recently I preached the funeral for a dear Christian lady. She lived a full life of 91 years. When she was 84, she asked me if I would preach at her funeral. That day she told me Bible passages she wanted me to use and songs that she wanted to be sung in her funeral service. She also told me that day, "I'm not afraid to die." The Christian does not need to fear death!
Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:2b-3). Paul said, "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:" (Philippians 1:23).
Death for the Christian is to “go Home.” The moment Christians die, they go immediately to Heaven, into the presence of Christ. “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:6-8). The Bible says that Abraham "...looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). Paul said, "...so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:17).
The gospel song sums it up well for the Christian:
Heaven's my home, and I'm going there,
To lay down these burdens that I've had to bear.
I'm going higher, His glory to share,
For Heaven's my home, and I'm going there! Heaven is joyful! Christ is there! No one who goes to Heaven will feel lonely or afraid. There is no sin or temptation in Heaven! GLORY TO GOD!
Heaven is beautiful! The Scriptures tell about gates of pearl, a street of gold, and the River of Life. It is a place so beautiful that when the Apostle John caught a glimpse of it, he said that the Holy City was like “...a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2).
If you are a Christian, when you die you will get to meet everyone who received Christ as Savior. Christian families and friends will be reunited in Heaven!
Death for the unbeliever is tragic. Those who die in their sins, unconverted, will go to Hell for Eternity. No one in their right mind would ever want to go to Hell. There is eternal torment and everlasting agony in Hell. The Bible says, "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).
If you are not a Christian, if you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, please turn to Jesus right now. You should repent of your sin and "...believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved..." (Acts 16:31). God can save you! There is no sin the Lord cannot forgive, and there is no soul He cannot save.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
The Bible Way To Heaven The Bible says that everyone has a problem | Sin “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The Bible says that there is a penalty for that sin | death “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The Bible says that this penalty has been paid | Jesus “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The Bible says that a person must turn to the savior | repent “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). - written by Evangelist Byron Foxx
